Chapter 28 – Admissions
The lieutenant entered the warehouse cautiously. She had her academy trained Growlithe out beside her. The smaller fire type was on edge, sensing that something was off here. Dusk was falling fast, and the policewoman couldn't locate the lights immediately, so she resorted to using her flashlight. Waving the beam around, shadows ran, showing off a rather hurried exit. Either that, or a struggle. The Growlithe was sniffing around and wandering somewhat away from the officer. Slowly, the woman pushed further into the building. Barking just beyond the flashlight startled the young woman.
"Growlithe?" she whispered. Her companion barked again, coming into the cone of light as the officer walked over. Her pup was standing beside a hand. Gasping, the woman rushed over and knelt. A man in a brown trench coat was lying unconscious, a rather nasty looking bruise on his forehead. The officer checked the man's pulse to confirm he was still alive. Silently, she thanks the gods that he was still breathing and radioed for help.
"Dispatch I need an ambulance stat to 828 Water St. Unconscious male with a head wound…"
"Looker." The man in the bed set down the magazine he was reading and looked up at the woman's voice.
"Champion Cynthia. I would welcome you better, but as you can see, I seem to be wired in…" Looker gestured at the various wires that were connected to his body taking readings and whatnot. Cynthia for her part gave a small smile. The man seemed to be like himself after spending the better part of two days unconscious.
"I'm glad to see you're still breathing. Mind telling me what happened to you?"
"Straight to business I see! Yes, of course that would make sense. You've seen the report I'm sure?" Looker asked.
"I haven't actually. I've been coordinating with Lucian and the Great Marsh representatives about the bombing."
"I see. Well there is some privileged information that my superiors are missing."
"Why are they not fully informed?" Cynthia asked. That seemed like a rather suspicious thing to do, even for an undercover IP agent.
"What all do you know about Team Galactic?"
"That they're dangerous and have staged two rather massive attacks now here in Sinnoh."
"This is true" Looker said. "But where does this funding come from? An organization such as this must have money yes? So, after thorough investigation, it would seem Galactic corporation is a front. My suspicions were confirmed after seeing their head scientist in the field two days ago." Cynthia frowned.
"And why leave this out of your report?" Looker smiled.
"Bugs of course!" Cynthia's deadpan face made the agents smile fade. "I mean, I fear of being compromised. They would have surveillance, especially electronic." Cynthia groaned inwardly. Of course a well funded criminal organization would have wire taped certain people or places. She should have thought about that.
"So what else did you find? And what happened to you?" Cynthia asked as she sat down. Looker repositioned himself and folded his hands in his lap as he began his story.
"I found the warehouse that they had rented and made my sneaky entrance. A man named Charon and another woman were there watching the bomb explode from the weather balloons. There was a laptop with them that seemed to receive all of the data, and it was this that I attempted to get from them. However, I was thwarted by an unseen enemy, one who made known my presence. After that, the woman sent out her Pokemon to attack poor Looker and alas, I remember nothing else before waking here." Cynthia could only sit and absorb what she had just been told. Whoever was the mastermind behind the attack was still out there. And they had all the information they needed to do something like this again, which between Flint and Lookers accounts, was a certainty.
Jill woke up to the light from her phone illuminating the dim room. Around her were all her Pokemon, still sleeping. Chase, Urim and Icarium were exhausted from their battle. Crasher had put up Jill and Barry without a fuss, even going so far as to cook dinner with his wife for the two trainers. However, they could see that he was stressed out. An attack like this was basically a slight against the gym leader of the town. Jill couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible, as if she hadn't challenged Crasher to a gym match, he would have been available to help Cynthia and the local police. He had waved aware her guilt however, saying that even if she had challenged before or after, they would have altered their plans to make sure he was busy regardless. People like this did not plan attacks on days where gym leaders were free.
After healing her Pokemon and had eaten, Jill excused herself to the room Crasher was loaning her. There she had called her mother to let her know she was alright and began researching everything to do with Team Galactic. The effort seemed in vain though, as there was almost nothing in the news about these terrorists. Save for the bombing of course, which was all anyone could talk about. Local politicians were quick to jump on this opportunity to talk about cracking down on crime, closing of the underground (a constant hot button topic in Sinnoh) and offering their thoughts and prayers to those affected. What did amaze the young trainer however was the fact that no one was injured in the attack.
Quietly the young woman checked her phone. She was surprised to see a message from Cynthia. Frowning, Jill sat up and read the champions message.
'Jill, I know you and your friend are wanting to help, but you don't have all the information. Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools one can have at their disposal, and to that end, I would advise that perhaps your travels take you through Celestic town. My grandmother (your grandaunt) lives there studying the history of Sinnoh. You should speak with her to grasp a better understanding of what this Team Galactic could possibly want.
I know you wish to help, and I do appreciate that. I really do. However, I would not see you get pulled into something that should not be your fight. Your journey should not be a great battle against those who would wish harm upon this world. Perhaps someday, that will be the cause you take up against as I have as champion, but it is not something I wish for you.
Cynthia'
Jill slumped back against her pillows and sighed, eyes closed. All she had ever wanted in life was to become a Pokemon trainer. This was something that they stood for. What the champions and the leagues stood for, the best of what could be offered by working as a team, trainer and Pokemon both. To have her cousin want her out of the fight had hurt, but after sleeping on it, Jill began to understand what Cynthia was saying. She also realized that her cousin knew her better than she had realized even though they weren't very close.
"What's the matter?" the deep voice asked. Jill opened her eyes to see Caladan beside her bed. Her friend was almost too large to have in this tiny room now. He was level with the bed and took up the entire floor from the bed to the wall. Urim was still sleeping on his back, up against the grass types bushes.
"This journey isn't quite unfolding like I thought it would" Jill answered honestly. There was no sense in lying to her family. Even if it would just be a white lie.
"You mean about the attack?"
"The attack, Team Galactic, Cynthia… I just don't understand people sometimes Cal" Jill said.
"That's because you're all weird." Jill laughed at the comment. It was just so blatantly said, and she couldn't exactly argue it.
"I guess that's one way to put it" she replied placing her hand on his head.
"Not the way I imagined spending a victory night" Caladan said after a moments silence.
"No, not the way it should have been spent at all. I'm sorry" Jill said quietly.
"Why are you apologizing? Just wish we could've taken down that sorry excuse for a trainer who tried to attack you."
"Well we may have a lead on that." Jill shook her phone at Caladan. She knew he wouldn't be able to read the tiny screen, so she read the message from her cousin to him.
"Celestic town?" he asked.
"It's at the base of Mount Cornet if you came down from the north. Apparently, Professor Kale may have some information for us."
"Well that sounds like it's worth a look" Caladan said. Jill couldn't help but agree.
The trip to Celestic town was rather uneventful. Jill and her team made good time travelling north, more into late autumn's chill. The young woman was training everyone as much as she could, sensing that Caladan was getting close to evolving. Even Sphyrna and Epona were starting to close in on their respective evolving points. But as much as she wanted to take her time and train, Jill pushed towards what she believed could be some answers.
The weather was starting to succumb to winters grasp. There was a definite bite to the air, something Jill noted that neither Caladan or Sphyrna were overly happy about. Not that Jill could blame them. She was more of a warm weather girl herself. Celestic town was somewhat sheltered at the base of the mountain, but already there was a light dusting of the white powder coating the buildings and roads.
"It feels old" Urim said as he glided around Epona. The fire type was causing warm thermals around her body creating fun air currents for Jill's only flying team member.
"There is still some old power here" Icarium confirmed. Jill frowned slightly. Whatever it was that those two were feeling, Jill couldn't sense it.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I don't know what it is" Icarium said. "This is the furthest I've been from the clearing. But there's something that's resting here?" The psychic stopped causing the rest of the team to pause and look back.
"I don't have his tongue!" Chase said. Jill rolled her eyes, mentally kicking herself for teaching Chase some old human sayings and pranks.
"Why would you take his tongue?" Epona asked confused.
"I said I didn't!"
"The lake!" Icarium exclaimed. That just elicited more confused looks from the group.
"Oh yeah sure… the lake… Makes perfect sense there sticks" Chase said sarcastically. Jill sighed and lightly swatted the electric types head.
"Go on Icarium" Jill said.
"It's the same energy as the lake. When we passed by, I could faintly sense something. It was sleeping. At least I think it was. This is the same. Whatever this energy is, it's sleeping!"
It was late in the afternoon when Professor Kale escorted Jill into the cavern at the centre of town. It was here that the ancients had left a fresco detailing events from the beginning. Or so today's people would have you believe. Jill stood in awe before the artwork. There was something vaguely familiar to this room however. Something the young woman couldn't quite put her finger on.
Professor Kale was speaking, but Jill wasn't hearing her. There was a whispering in the cave here. The image before the young trainer showed a pyramid of sorts. Or maybe a simple triangle? At its corners there were pictures of three creatures, which Jill assumed were Pokemon of some sort. Not ones that she had come across in her journey so far.
"Jill?" Professor Kale asked. Jill snapped out of her daze and turned to her great-aunt.
"Sorry, I drifted for a second. This artwork is amazing" the young woman said.
"It certainly is. However, the story behind it isn't quite what people think." That got Jill's attention.
"So, the legends aren't true?" Jill asked.
"They are somewhat true. You know of the myth about the creation of this world?" Professor Kale asked. Jill nodded. Every child was told the myth about how this world was created one way or another due to so many people believing in various religions around the globe. Most of them talked about a creator. For some it was a human, and these first humans were gifted with Pokemon because of their willingness to keep their environment thriving. Others argued however that it was Pokemon who created the universe. Most people living in Sinnoh believed this version of creation (if one was so inclined to believe in that idea), and that the ruins at the summit of Mount Cornet were the origin point for creation.
"Yeah I know about it but I'm not sure I believe it" Jill answered honestly. Professor Kale nodded. She was much the same when she was Jill's age.
"It is something of a tall tale to hear it true. However, there are plenty of examples of Pokemon out there who are immensely powerful and have control over forces that we can barely test, and measure let alone manipulate." Jill was nodding. Legendary Pokemon were indeed rare, and were incredibly powerful. People spent their lives searching for clues as to the whereabouts of legends and myths. These seekers were hardly ever successful, as most of those types of journeys were perilous. Yet there were a select few who had come across the legends and even fought at their side or as their trainer. There were some rumours surrounding Arthur that he had a legendary Pokemon. And it was a well-known fact that Red had managed to capture all three Legendary Kanto birds, only to release them for some unknown reason when he went into hiding.
"The legends here in Sinnoh do tell of Pokemon who had powers that seem unbelievable. These included the powers to manipulate both time and space." Professor Kale paused to allow that to sink in. Jill was somewhat shocked. While she had heard this before of course, to hear a respected researcher tell it with such assertion… could such a thing be truly possible?
"Do we know if that is actually true?" the young trainer asked.
"Not conclusively. This fresco here though shows how we could potentially unlock the doors to understanding." Jill turned back to the fresco and studied the picture in more detail. Unbeknownst to either woman, a man had entered the cave and was walking up to the fresco as well.
"Could you please elaborate?" he asked. Both woman turned, startled at the deeper voice. Jill looked the man up and down, taking a second to recognize him as the man from the cave over a month ago. He was vaguely familiar from somewhere else as well to the young woman. "I wonder at how an art piece left from ancient times could tell us in the present how to access such powers."
"What brings a business man such as yourself to research our past?" Professor Kale asked somewhat cooly. Jill suddenly realized who this person was. He was the man who created and ran the Galactic Corporation here in Sinnoh. They rivaled the Silph company in terms of yearly revenue.
"Our past holds lessons for all of us" Cyrus said in response to the professor. There was no inflection in his voice. He motioned he would wait for the professor to continue. For her part, Professor Kale paused and stared at the new arrival. Jill looked back and forth between the two trying to piece together what was happening here.
"Very well," Carolina finally said turning back to Jill. "As you can see, this fresco shows us the entities who safeguard the door to powers that would drastically alter our reality if they were unleashed on our plane of existance. These three are able to keep our world in balance."
"What do you mean our plane?" Jill asked.
"The powers of Sinnoh legend speak of the ability to manipulate space and time. All my research says that these legends could not still live within our universe such as it is. Instead, they have their own realms in which they live." Cyrus was listening very intently. His steel grey eyes narrowing as Professor Kale closed in on the legend of the gate. "The statue in Eterna is another depiction of these deities, whether one or both I cannot be certain."
"So, this triangle the ancients left us is the means to accessing them?" Cyrus interjected attempting to hurry the professor's history lesson along.
"That is an accurate assumption. These three beings here resemble the lake guardians. Thus, when their power is awakened as shown here, a convergence is created." Jill was stunned. Cyrus allowed the smallest twitch of his mouth to pass his emotionless façade. Here was the final proof that Saturn's research was true. All they needed to do was harness the guardians power, something that Charon was more than capable of handling now.
"How would they release their power?" Jill asked, staring once more at the fresco.
"Only to one whom the guardians feel is worthy of the power, one who could prevent these gods from wrecking havoc on our Earth." Jill pictured champions both old and new standing before the guardians, for surely if anyone was to be chosen, it would be a champion!
"But there are three guardians are there not? And what of Arceus?" Cyrus asked. Professor Kale nodded.
"Each guardian is associated with an aspect of life. Knowledge, emotion and willpower. A person exemplifying these traits can unlock the guardian's potential. My research shows that this does seem to be one of the truths of the legends." This piece of information was new to Cyrus, however, he doubted that it would matter. "As to the legend of Arceus and creation, I do not believe that particular story has any merit." Jill made a small smile. It did not shock her that a scientist such as Professor Kale did not believe in Creation. For her part, Jill also had a hard time believing it but there was something to be said for a Pokemon's powers. Around the world, researchers and trainers were finding new Pokemon with amazing powers all the time. Something god-like however, had yet to be found. Jill's belief though was that if the legendary Pokemon of various regions were real, then perhaps there was a Pokemon capable of creating new worlds. Cyrus found the argument unsurprising. While he had hoped as a younger man that perhaps he could find the fabled Arceus, Cyrus had concluded that the Pokemon was simply a myth. That he was pursuing one of the beings of time and space however, came down to some documented proof. Or rather models that gave just enough justice for Cyrus to take them seriously.
"And how does one release the guardians power?" Cyrus asked after a minute of silence by the group. Jill was frowning somewhat at the fresco believing she had seen something when Professor Kale responded.
"What interest do you have in releasing the guardians power?" the professor asked.
"Look around you Professor." Jill was listening in now. This man's tone was suddenly very different to how he was speaking in the tunnel through Mount Cornet. This was the charismatic man who could get people to follow the emotionless businessman. "This world is full of strife and hostility. There is a gap between people unlike we've ever seen before and there is nothing being done to fix this. You say that these Guardians of willpower, knowledge and emotion keep this world in balance, but I see nothing of the sort!" Cyrus was glaring at the two women daring them to contradict him.
"So, answer me this; because of these three," he waved a had at the fresco referring to the guardians depicted "our world cannot change?"
"There is no real proof of that!" the professor countered. "You speak from an ivory tower yourself!" Cyrus frowned.
"You have no idea what I have endured. I am going to change this world. The human spirit is weak, which has lead to this sordid state of affairs. I will put an end to this, by creating the perfect world." Jill was shocked. Here was the admission Cynthia had been looking for all along. The business tycoon of Sinnoh was just a front for what he wanted more than anything else.
"You want to change the world how?" Jill asked in a quiet voice. Professor Kale was stunned and unable to find her voice.
"I will create a new world, one in which our spirits have been voided of that which makes us weak. I do this to create perfection, such as that which our computers show us is possible."
"We are not a computer model!" Jill practically shouted.
"You are still young and do not see what this world is coming to. Stay out of my way child for I will create my world." Cyrus looked at the two women and turned around to leave.
"I won't let you!" Jill said causing the businessman to pause. "Yes, there are problems in this world, but that doesn't mean you get to go and destroy it! You don't get to play god!"
"Ignorance will not help you. If you do not see the deplorable state, we have arrived at then there is nothing I can do for you." Cyrus turned around again and faced the young woman who was glaring at him. His cold, seemingly almost dead eyes gave nothing away, but Jill's emerald coloured ones were alive with life and fire. She was shocked that someone could be so cold.
"I will stop you" she said with all the conviction in the world.
"You can stop nothing" Cyrus said without inflection. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a Pokeball. Reflex caused Jill to grab her own. "As a first step I will destroy this painting." He released his Pokemon and ordered it to attack.
Jillian's Pokemon:
Caladan (Grotle) - level 31, ability: Overgrow, nature: Bashful
Chase (Luxio) - level 32, ability: Intimidate, nature: Impish
Epona (Ponyta) - level 31, ability: Run Away, nature: Naughty
Urim (Togepi) - level 33, ability: Serene Grace, nature: Brave
Sphryna (Gabite) - level 31 ability: Sand Veil, nature: Naive
Icarium (Kirlia) - level 34, ability: Trace, nature: Lonely